Roundup is the current whipping boy of the agricultural world. It's
being blamed for the sudden crash of populations in butterflies, bees,
pheasants, Carrier Pigeons and Neanderthals.
Neanderthals are immune to glyphosate last I've read.
I can't/won't comment on any other issues other than the Monarchs but I
don't think was jumping on any unfounded bandwagon.
The link cited the major effects of the very cold winter,
wildfires/drought in TX but the massive increase in Roundup is likely a
substantial contributing factor threatening the existence of the
migrating Monarchs (the species is not threatened, but the migrating
ones are). The use of Roundup ready
soybeans is up to 93% in 2013 and Roundup ready corn to 83%. More than
a million acres of Upper Midwest grassland have been plowed under in
recent years for corn and soybean fields---look to the ethanol spiked
gas as the driving force. Karen Oberhauser, a conservation biologist at
the University of Minnesota, and a colleague estimated that as
Monsanto’s Roundup Ready corn and soybeans spread across the Midwest,
the amount of milkweed in farm fields fell by more than 80 percent.
Oberhauser determined that the loss of milkweed almost exactly mirrored
the decline in monarch egg production.
List member home, Iowa,has lost more than 98 percent of the milkweed
that was once there, according to Iowa State University biologist John
Pleasants, who worked with Oberhauser. He’s seen firsthand the
transformation as he has studied cornfields during the past decade and
a half. Before Roundup, patches of milkweed grew among the corn and
along the edges of fields. After the herbicide—nothing but corn.
Monarch experts consider that the "Smoking Gun" is apparent for Roundup
and the decline of the Monarch. The evidence is approaching the point
that
those denying glycphosate contributing to the Monarch decline may be
given free membership in the Flat Earth Society.
I've done my share of gene manipulation in the lab at HHMI, and have
nothing against GMO per se, but a responsible corporate citizen
would take action to mitigate unintended consequences of its highly
profitable product. We are in danger of losing a (inter)national
treasure with the epic migrating Monarch. I have no idea why Monsanto
doesn't throw some money at this problem given the PR benefits.
The success of the Monarch's transcontinental trip likely depends on a
critical mass of butterflies and I hope time hasn't run out. Given half
a chance and a few breaks they could recover.
Monarch Monitor Mike
--
_________________________________________________________________
Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
|